Sajid Javid has said that the Government does not need to trigger ‘Plan B’, which would see the return of mask mandates and the introduction of vaccine passports for certain venues, but instead urged members of the public to take up the offer of a booster jab so the country can “look forward to Christmas together”. However, the Health Secretary insisted that the Government will “take further measures” and implement ‘Plan B’ if it needed to. MailOnline has the story.
The Health Secretary said that the country is “not at that point” of needing restrictions to be re-imposed.
But he said “if we needed to take further measures with ‘Plan B’ then we would do so” as he stressed the Government is “not complacent in any way”.
Bookings for Covid booster jabs are opening this week for people aged 40 years-old and over.
Ministers have faced fresh questions over whether they will push the button on ‘Plan B’ after a Covid surge across Europe prompted some countries to return to lockdown measures.
The Netherlands has confirmed a three-week partial lockdown while Austria is set to impose a lockdown on unvaccinated people.
A further 40,941 Covid cases were confirmed in the UK as of yesterday morning while a further 150 people had died within 28 days of testing positive.
The Government’s ‘Plan A’ for tackling Covid is to rely on the vaccination programme and testing to limit the spread of the disease.
‘Plan B’ would see vaccine passports required for attending certain events and the return of face masks being compulsory in certain settings.
Javid was asked during an interview on Sky News this morning if people should brace themselves for a return of restrictions before Christmas.
The Health Secretary said: “As we all look forward to Christmas, it is very sad to see cases rising, surging, in certain parts of Europe.
“We have always known that this virus, it loves the winter, it likes the cold, darker days that winter brings and we need to make sure we are doing everything we can to protect ourselves against that.
“What has made a real difference here in the UK is our booster programme, our hugely successful booster programme.
“Almost 15 million booster jabs given already, covering some quarter of the population over the age of 12 years-old, almost 400,000 a day across the U.K.
“That is making the difference and we know that because just this week there was more data published after more studies that shows that the protection you get from your booster… it almost doubles from 50% to over 90%
“I will be extending the booster programme starting tomorrow to 40 to 49 year-olds.
“But we have all got a role to play in this, in our national vaccination programme and if you are eligible, whether it is your first shot, second shot or your third shot, please come forward and let’s look forward to Christmas together.”
Worth reading in full.
